The Big Night
by gawilliams
Summary: Instead of being taken by the Gravedigger, Booth attends the awards ceremony honoring Bones.  Little does he know Bones has plans for them of her own.
1. Chapter 1

_I was watching some of season four the other night, and when I watched the Gravedigger episode where Booth is kidnapped, I wondered what significance could Bones have for being so insistent on Booth being there for her "Big Night", and if it could be something more than the deep friendship they have. I wrote this to come up with a fun possibility that does not include Booth being taken by the Gravedigger at all. I hope you enjoy it. Gregg._

_Disclaimer: I don't own, or profit from, these characters or franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

Bones snapped her cell phone shut, pulled up to Booth's building and sighed. If she was going to make sure he was there on time it looked like she was going to have to take him there herself. Not that she minded necessarily, as she wanted some alone time with him anyway, but he did lie to her about already being on his way. His neighbor knocking on the door made that abundantly clear. Getting out of her new hybrid SUV she made her way up to his place and knocked on the door. When it opened she had to restrain herself from reacting to the impressive sight if Booth in a tuxedo.

"Bones!" he said, surprised to see her as he was just going to head out the door and hightail it to the awards ceremony. Now she definitely knew he had been fibbing a bit on the phone about where he was.

"Are you ready?" she asked, keeping her face stern, though wanting nothing more than to walk in, close the door and rip his clothes off so she could ravage him. To Hell with the awards ceremony.

Booth was having a bit of trouble concentrating as all the blood was trying to make a mad dash to a certain piece of his anatomy below his belt buckle. Bones was absolutely stunning in that gown! He mentally began to recite some Saints to regain some control.

"Uh, ready for what?" he managed to ask, albeit in the middle of his recital of all the Saints he could remember.

Bones sighed in frustration, but also no small amount of amusement. She was far from clueless when it came to men who were turned on by her, and Booth was most definitely turned on. She would think about that one later. For now, she had a specific task to accomplish.

"To go to the ceremony," she said, a smirk on her face. "Since you obviously are running behind, I will drive us there."

"No way, Bones," Booth protested. "I can drive myself, and anyway, I always drive."

"My car, my keys, I drive," Bones said firmly. "Or should I e-mail everyone you work with as to **_exactly_** why you don't like meatloaf?"

Booth paled slightly. "You drive," he submitted. "You've been hanging around Angela way too much, Bones. She's been teaching you far too many dirty tricks, like blackmail."

"I already am quite proficient at blackmail, as you well know from the Cleo Eller case," she pointed out.

"I still don't like it, Bones," he told her a bit petulantly as they left his building and got into her vehicle, he frowning as he got into the passenger seat.

"And I am still quite sure you aren't supposed to," she told him, echoing her comment from that case, with a smirk on her lips.

He had to admit that the banquet and ceremony wasn't that bad. Obviously when it was a private organization footing the bill for the occasion the level of quality made a quantum leap. The last time he had been to an FBI banquet, which he'd taken Bones to, the meal had been so lousy that they'd ate at the Diner afterwards instead of the skimpy, and horribly overcooked, meal at the banquet. At the moment he was enjoying a dessert of apple pie with some of the best ice cream he'd ever had.

"What was the hold up in getting here, Studly?" Angela asked when Bren went up to the head table to prepare for the awards presentation.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, a bit confused as they had arrived twenty minutes early. Granted, the rest of the Squint Squad was already there and bored to tears at being so early, but so what?

"Bren was freaking out when she called me and you weren't at the Jeffersonian yet with all of us to head over here," she replied, watching his reaction carefully.

Booth sighed. "Now that Cullen's been promoted, my new Boss, Hacker, who is a **_complete_** idiot and **_total_** waste of skin, is trying to strut his stuff and rule the roost. I was busy on paperwork that that putz wanted done today even though Caroline told me this morning that she didn't need it, or even want to see it, before next **_Thursday_**," he told her with obvious venom.

Angela was a bit surprised at the harsh words coming from Booth. Sure they'd all seen him angry before, and his view of criminals was decidedly negative, but he rarely spoke so harshly in tone about someone. It reminded her of just what the man was capable of if he really let his anger loose. It wouldn't be a pretty sight.

"Well, it's important to Bren that you're here tonight," she said simply.

"Just why is this award so important anyway?" Booth asked curiously, wondering if he should maybe have done something special for Bones.

"The organization giving this award is one of three private foundations in the world that rank up there with the famous Royal Societies or Academies," Hodgins said from his spot. He was dressed in a very expensively tailored tuxedo. Obviously he was impressed if he was so dressed up. "Basically only the best of the best get honored by this group, Dude."

"Dr. Brennan gets awards and recognition all the time, Seeley, but she never attends the ceremonies, and only sends a videotaped acceptance," Cam added. "The fact that she is attending this one, invited us, and was adamant about you coming, says a lot about how highly she regards this award."

"Why was she so adamant about me being here?" Booth asked, ignoring the rolling of their eyes when he asked that question.

"One of these days, Studly, you're going to be remembering these times and wonder how you could have been so oblivious," Angela said with a frustrated glare, but then they all moved on and began listening to the presentations.

He knew exactly what she was talking about, but felt that whatever happened was between himself and Bones. A lot had happened this past year, and he was leaving her in the driver's seat. In his own mind he'd made enough of a mess of things as it was. If she wanted more, then he was more than ready, but she had to make the first move.

Booth was impressed with her acceptance speech. She offered her thanks to the Foundation and appreciation of the work they did in the field, as well as the people she worked with to make her research possible. Then she discussed where she thought further effort was needed and the hope that the Foundation would continue to work in those areas. All in all it was a very well thought out, and well presented, speech. He told her so when she got back to the table.

"Thank you," she said, a small tinge of a blush on her cheeks. She had always liked it when Booth complimented her as she knew he meant it since he was not prone to insincere platitudes. While she was comfortable in clinical settings, like when she would give lectures to her graduate students, she was never very sure of herself when in this kind of setting. It made her feel better that Booth thought she had done well.

Of course, not all of the evening was to his liking. When the dancing started she was whisked away and danced with a number of men who, no doubt, were serious patrons of the Foundation. His blood boiled when he saw one of the letches shift his hand down to her ass, but was pleased when she gave the guy a look that would freeze penguins into blocks of ice and the guy left with his tail between his legs. He decided enough was enough and made his way over to her and cut in, receiving a look from the guy who was then dancing with her, but he didn't give a damn.

"Thank you," Bones said with a sigh of relief. She was getting decidedly tired of fending off the advances of the men here, especially as the only one who interested her was the one she was dancing with right then.

"I can go over and arrest that guy for sexual assault," Booth suggested, mentally praying she would say yes so he could inflict a little hurt on the schmuck, though knowing she wouldn't let him.

"While I certainly did not appreciate his advances, he only felt my ass, Booth," she told him, knowing that he would understand that he was to drop it.

"It's still not right, Bones," Booth argued.

"No, it's not," she agreed. "But if I reacted to every man who had groped me before, I would now be in prison for various felony assault convictions, and possibly attempted murder."

While most would take that as a joking statement, he knew what she was capable of, so he conceded. She may be somewhat more free in her sexual life than he was, or what he was comfortable with, but he had never known her to encourage, or accept, overly demonstrative come ons. He didn't know about when she was out looking for some action, which days he worked damn hard to block out of his mind, but he highly doubted that her comfort zone on the subject was much different.

"You'd find some way to hide the evidence and come away Scot free," he said confidently.

Bones chuckled and continued to enjoy the dance without talking. She had hoped to be able to enjoy some dances with Booth this evening. It would be a nice lead in to what she had planned for later. She only hoped that he would be interested. Deciding to ignore the constant urge to evaluate and ponder, she simply let her mind relax and focus her attention on how incredible it felt to be in his arms while moving across the dance floor.

"Does anyone else have the impression that something different is happening between them tonight?" Sweets asked out loud, echoing what the rest of the Squint Squad was thinking as they watched the two partners dancing. He was relieved when everyone simply nodded in agreement with the observation. Maybe things would work out this time.

_A/N: This is the first of two chapters. I have the last one written and will be posting it either tomorrow or the day after. This story was written as I work on the next chapter of _The Perils of Delivering A Seminar_, and another chapter of _Making The First Move_. I have also begun working on a new chapter for my long neglected story _The List_. I hope you enjoyed this opening chapter. Gregg._


	2. Chapter 2

_I'm amazed at the response to the first chapter to this one. The alerts and favorites listings shocked me, but are deeply appreciated, as well as the great reviews. I hope this chapter continues to engage your interest. Gregg._

_Disclaimer: I don't own, or profit from, these characters or franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

Booth and Bones danced for about an hour before Bones suggested leaving the banquet and go back to her place for some coffee. Not wanting the evening to end, and very curious to see what Bones was up to, he readily agreed. He was sensing that something was up, and while he had his hopes, he wasn't going to make any assumptions.

The drive to her place was quiet, though they each made passing comments here and the. Bones was trying to figure out the best way to say what she had been wanting to tell him for some time. Ever once his birthday she had been doing some serious thinking about him, and what she hoped would be between them. She was still unsure about how his feelings towards her had possibly changed since she had been so horribly insensitive towards him, and implied he was a loser. She still wished that she had done more than knock Jared off of his bar stool. Her birthday toast had been full of her true feelings, and her new resolve towards Booth, but did he understand the implications of what she had told him? That was what had been plaguing her thoughts for some time now, especially after the obvious interest in him displayed by Agent Perotta recently.

"Coffee or beer?" she asked as she led them into her apartment. She placed her purse on the stand and her keys in the dish next to the door.

"Beer's good," he replied casually, though his nerves were on high alert.

She brought him his favorite beer and sat down next to him on the couch, taking a sip of her own beer. All evening she had been catching herself staring at him in his tux and enjoying the feelings of arousal that the sight produced.

"I left out the most important part of me acceptance speech this evening," she informed him quietly.

He quirked a brow and looked over at her. "How come?"

"Because it's personal, and in a way an addition to my birthday toast to you," she admitted, not sure how to put it.

"Care to share what you left out?" he asked, now very curious. Her toast on his birthday had convinced him that he wanted to be with her, with no more doubts, but it had also made him decide that she needed to make the first move. He'd been stupid enough to make up that line nonsense a couple of years before and look where that got him.  
>Bones took a slight, calming breath, and then told him.<p>

"There is someone, though, who deserves to be recognized as much as myself, though for a different, yet related, reason," she said, clearly quoting what she had left out of the speech. "Five years ago when I first met him I was, in my own mind, the best in the world in my field. That was an arrogance on my part that was without foundation, though my body of work to that point had placed me in a position of high recognition. There was something lacking, though, that has since allowed me to become more than I was, and allowed me to critically evaluate my work and views, making them stronger, with a more solid foundation, and in some cases throwing them out altogether.

"What was lacking was my best friend, Special Agent Seeley Booth. In the time I have known him he has been the one person to challenge what I say or do, and do so in such a way that I am forced to reevaluate myself. He has proven to be my equal by making me a better Forensic Anthropologist, and a better person by not only recognizing my strengths, but by also making me recognize and acknowledge my weaknesses. Without him I would not be here tonight accepting this award, and I would not have accomplished near what I have in my research over the last five years. He is a true mentor in the best sense of the word, a true friend, and a person who has taught me to believe in more than the cold confines of science and logic. For all of that, and more, he deserves this award as much as myself, and I am here tonight to accept it on behalf of both of us, not just myself."

Booth sat there, his jaw about on the floor in shock at what he'd just heard. He'd been overwhelmed at her toast at his birthday party a few months back, but this was beyond overwhelmed. He was seeing the depth to which she had allowed herself to grow and feel in terms of other people, and in particular him. Not that she had been a completely closed off woman to begin with. He'd seen her warm, caring side all too often, but to have her so vocally acknowledge what she felt about their friendship and partnership was incredibly humbling.

She sat there watching I'm very carefully, wondering if perhaps she had been wrong in telling him what she had originally had in the acceptance speech. She meant every word of it, and had no trouble acknowledging that to herself, but her inner fear of being rejected, even on such a statement of friendship and partnership, made her extremely anxious. He didn't appear put off by it, but she wasn't terribly adept at reading body language. That was his department.

"Booth?" she asked hesitantly when he still had not said anything.

"I, uh, WOW, Bones," he managed to stammer. "I, uh, don't know what to say."

"Is that a good thing?" she asked, a bit nervous about what he would say. A lot of this night, and what she was hoping for the future, hinged on what he would say next.

Booth chuckled slightly, but then got a serious look in his eyes as he told her, honestly, "Bones, the person who hears that said about them and isn't humbled beyond measure is an uncaring, selfish fool. I'm not a fool, Bones, despite some incidents in the past few years."

Bones breathed a mental sigh of relief at what he said. Now was the more difficult part of what she wanted to say.

"Remember the Pony Play case?" she asked. She almost laughed out loud as his face scrunched up in disgust.

"You're bringing up those sick perverts now of all times?" he asked incredulously. Then he had a horrific thought. "You're not asking me to be your pony, are you?"

Now she did laugh. "Of course not," she assured him, loving the extremely visibly sigh of relief he gave and muttered _'Thank God!_' that she barely heard. "Unless you're interested...?" she teased.

"Hell no!" he said firmly.

"Good, because I'm not interested in that particular role playing scenario, either," she replied. "I'm more interested in the conversation we had in the Diner about that case when we tacked about crappy sex versus making love, and what making love is."

Booth could make some pretty impressive assumptions based on that statement, but he didn't, as he knew if he did and was wrong, he would likely wind up missing an essential set of body parts. He did, though, recall the conversation vividly, as it was one of the rare times that Bones had actually conceded an intellectual discussion to him, as well as it being one of the only times he had ever discussed sex with her and not been monumentally flustered and embarrassed.

"You've changed your mind about me being right?" he asked. It was a logical question considering she didn't have a lover until almost a year later, and then it was the two boyfriends idiocy. He still mentally cringed whenever he thought about that. He had thought after their trip to London that there would be a possibility of them as a couple, but then she goes right out and finds the Deep Sea Welder to satisfy some urges with and shot his hopes down the toilet once more. Maybe he should have been straight up with her in England and told her he was so damn upset about that twit Ian because he, Booth, wanted Bones for himself, not see her be flirted with and offered one night stands by some other guy. But that was his own screw up, not Bones'.

"No," she said slowly. "I think you are very right, but I don't have any empirical evidence to support my initial conclusion."

Now, Booth had been paying attention for the last few years, so he wasn't clueless when it came to Squint Speak. He knew damn well she was angling for some first hand demonstrations that he was right. Of course that wasn't too difficult seeing as he was competing against a group of sick perverts engaged in pony play, but he wasn't about to do anything sub par. But he had to make sure that he was reading this situation right. Sending up a silent prayer for a mercifully quick and painless death if he was all wrong, he looked her looked her right in the eye.

"And are you looking to get some empirical evidence?" he asked, holding his breath as she looked at him as if trying to decide something. His eyes widened as she stood up and faced him, raising her hand to the clasp of the gown at the back of her neck, undoing it and letting the gown fall to her feet, leaving her in nothing but a very sexy, and skimpy, pair of panties and her sheer black stockings.

"Does this answer your question?" she asked, amused at the shocked expression on his face.

_A/N: I decided to split the second chapter into two separate chapters. Next up, the finale which includes the empirical evidence Bones is interested in obtaining. I hope you enjoyed this one. Gregg._


End file.
